![]() ![]() ![]() The adult female moth is wingless the adult male has a wingspan of about 1 inch, with brownish-gray forewings and lighter colored hind wings. They pupate in early June, but do not emerge as moths until November, when they surface to lay eggs. When they mature, they burrow into the soil and make cocoons of silk and dirt particles near the soil’s surface. After the eggs hatch in April or early May, the caterpillars feed for four or five weeks. The eggs are cylindrical, gray and have brown tops. Adult moths lay their eggs in the winter, leaving them on twigs and tree limbs in clusters of 50 or more. Only one generation of inch worms is born every year. ![]() Because the damage they cause does not follow a specific pattern, it is difficult to determine if the damage is caused by inch worms, or by other species such as the sawfly, the earwig, or the cutworm. Inch worms sometimes cause great damage to foliage, but they are often kept under control by natural predators. Some species feed exclusively on deciduous trees and shrubs, some feed only on conifers, and some feed on both. Inch worms feed on several types of trees, plants and shrubs. When in danger, some inchworms stand upright and still on their prolegs, making them appear even more like a twig. An inchworm’s body is smooth and hairless, and many species have projections on their bodies that help them mimic flowers, twigs or foliage. ![]()
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